The Beaches of Cheyenne
by KailaGlass
Summary: In a world where there are no walkers. Anyone who knows the song 'Beaches of Cheyenne' can guess what the story's about. Story goes along with the song. I own nothing but my OC. The song belongs to the wonderful Mr. Garth Brooks. Daryl's country boy attitude made for the perfect story for this song. Hope you all enjoy !
1. Chapter 1

**_I do not own The Walking Dead characters, only my OC, and I also do not own 'The Beaches of Cheyenne' song, that belongs to the wonder Mr. Garth Brooks. Hope you all enjoy !_**

* * *

_"They packed up all his buckles._

_And shipped his saddle to his dad._

_And by the way the house looked,_

_She must have took it bad._

_The workers come on Monday,_

_To fix the door and patch the wall._

_They say she just went crazy._

_The night she got the call."_

* * *

"He was a damn good rider." Rick said, gently lifting the champion's saddle into a box. He grabbed up the buckles, and tenderly laid them on top of the worn, leather saddle. He stared at the box, and sighed.

"Good man, too at that." Shane looked down shaking his head. "Had a temper of a bull, but he was a good one." He looked at Rick. Times like these, the two of them hated being the sheriffs. It was them, who had to break bad news to families. It was them who had to destroy lives.

"These are to be shipped to his dad." Rick said quietly, breaking the silence.

"Heard he took the news pretty hard." Shane murmured.

"What do you expect? Treating Daryl like trash all those years, being a drunk and beating him. I don't think he ever really got the chance to apologize for that." Rick said, slight anger in his voice.

"Well," Shane slapped Rick on the back, "maybe he will one day."

"Gotta go talk to Miss Mary." Rick said, walking out of the bedroom. There was a hole in the wall, and a telephone on the floor underneath it.

"She must've gone crazy." Shane said quietly, as they walked out of the front door, which was half off its hinges. Rick stopped at the door, and looked at it with sad eyes.

"Surprised that she did that." He nodded at the door. "She's little... She _was_ little." Rick corrected his self.

"Adrenaline." Shane grunted, and the two men walked outside onto the porch. They walked over to the neighbor in silence, and knocked on the door. Within seconds, Ms. Mary came to the door, and opened it, giving a gentle smile.

"Hello Officer Grimes, Walsh. Come in." She opened the door.

"Oh, no ma'am, we won't take too much of your time, just wanted to get your story about Katie-Evelyn." Rick said politely.

"Dear, she went absolutely insane. I had my window cracked, and everything was silent, just a slight breeze. Then I heard the screaming. I heard Katie-Evelyn screaming, so I ran to my door. She was running from her porch screaming out his name. I saw her run into the water, then I called 911. Y'all came and there was no sight of her... That's pretty much it." Ms. Mary shook her head sadly. "She was such a good girl. And Daryl, he was precious. Always offering to cut my grass. What a shame."

"It really is. The workers are coming Monday. They gotta patch up the wall, and fix the door. I guess her family will decide what to do with the house." Shane shook his head.

"Such a shame." Ms. Mary repeated, and nodded a goodbye to the two officers as they walked off of her porch.

"Good day, Miss Mary." Rick called, and she smiled sweetly, before shutting her door.


	2. Chapter 2

**I own nothing but my OC ! Just saying that once more ! Hope you all enjoy, even though it is sad :( I've been listening to this song since I was a little kid, and it just felt right to me to make this with Daryl's character. Hope I write it well !**

**~Kaila G.**

* * *

_"He was up in Wyoming,_

_And drew a bull no man could ride._

_He promised her he'd turn out._

_Well, it turned out that he lied._

_And their dreams that they'd been livin',_

_In the California sand._

_Died right there beside him in Cheyenne."_

* * *

Daryl stood, watching, waiting. They were assigning riders to bulls, and he could already feel his adrenaline pumping. He listened as the announcer would call a name, then the bull that person would ride. There were groans and grimaces from the crowd. Some men grinned or chuckled. Daryl just stood smirking, waiting on his name to be called. He didn't have to wait long.

"Daryl Dixon will be ridin', uh, 'No Man's Land'." There silence among the crowd of men as they all turned to look at Daryl. He was silent, and nodded his head before walking out. He walked out toward the gates, ready to go back to his house before hitting a bar. Someone caught his eye and he grinned.

"Who'd you get?" Glenn, who was Daryl's favorite rodeo clown, walked up smiling.

"Ya really wanna know?" Daryl smirked.

"Oh, no. Don't even say it." Glenn frowned.

"Yea, 'No Man's Land' it is." Daryl looked pleased.

"You better wipe that look off your face, he ain't nothing to mess with! Oh, man. Katie-Evelyn's gonna be pissed." Glenn shook his head.

"God, I know. Imma get cussed out from here to damn China." Daryl shook his head. "She'll get over it. The money'll be worth it."

"I dunno man. That's one hell of a bull."

"And I can't wait to give 'em a whirl." Daryl slapped Glenn on the back, and began walking toward his motorcycle.

"Be careful, Daryl." Glenn called out.

Daryl grunted, and climbed on his motorcycle. He cranked it up, and took off for the main road. 'No Man's Land'. Boy, he really did it this time. Glenn was right. Katie-Evelyn was going to be mad as hell. He was bracing himself for the worst, as he pulled up to his house.

Best thing about a small town is that everything is close together. Hell, if he wanted to waste twenty-five minutes, he could walk from his house to the rodeo. But Daryl Dixon did not waste time, no, he got where he needed to be ahead of time, ready to do what had to be done. And right now, he had to go inside to his wife and tell her the news.

Daryl and Katie-Evelyn had been married for five years. They got married when Katie-Evelyn turned eighteen. Now he had just turned twenty-four, and she was twenty-three. But of course, with all small town kids, there was a history with the two that went far beyond those five years. Daryl began to think back at their history.

Daryl had met Katie-Eveyln in kindergarten. The small, adorable blonde with big, blue eyes had loved him from the start. Despite how all boys were at that age, Daryl never picked on her with mean intentions. She always sat with him at the back of the bus, and even shared her lunch with him everyday.

Katie-Evelyn knew something was wrong. Daryl wasn't like most kids. He always came to school with bruises or cuts. They would sit at the back of the bus and laugh all the way until the bus stopped at his stop. Then he would get quiet, and frown slightly, before saying goodbye. He would walk away, and climb down the bus stairs, looking back to wave at her, before trudging towards his house.

Before they knew it, they were in high school. Katie-Evelyn was a dancer, and a damn good one at that. Daryl would always go to her recitals, and often would meet her in the parking lot with a red rose. She would giggle and kiss him on the lips quickly, before her parents came outside.

_"Daryl Dixon!_" She'd say. "_You're gonna be the death of me one day! My Daddy's gonna come out here, see me kissin' you, and shoot us both!_"

Daryl would just laugh, and sneak one more peck before her parents opened the auditorium doors. Katie-Evelyn would giggle again, and smack his chest gently. He would slink away, and leave her to celebrate, knowing he'd see her again later that night. He would go home and wait until midnight, then he'd sneak out quietly. Jump on his bike, and be at her house in seconds.

She'd always meet him at the end of her driveway. He'd hand her a helmet, and she'd push it over her wild curly hair. Daryl would laugh as she climbed on the bike awkwardly. To be such a graceful dancer, she was a clumsy person. She'd just smack him, and tilt her head back laughing, as they drove off into the night.

Daryl was most fond of the times they had crashed at his house. His father was always gone, off getting drunk somewhere. Daryl guessed his father thought Daryl and his older brother, Merle, could take care of their selves. Merle was always in trouble, and never home. Daryl and Katie-Evelyn would always have the best times together.

Daryl smiled at the thought of her. After she made him watch the movie 'The Devil's Advocate', he always told her she had "Mare curls", which made her grin. Except her blonde hair was much, much longer.

He sighed, thinking of his gorgeous wife. Now he was about to get in trouble. She was going to dog cuss him all over the house when he told her. He walked up to the porch, and walked up the steps. He could hear her small feet, as she ran down the hall and flung the front door open. Katie-Evelyn jumped on him, kissing his cheek. He wrinkled his nose at her sweet face, not ready to tell her about the bull he had drawn.

"Uh, oh. I don't like the looks of that face." Katie-Evelyn said, her tone questioning, but her voice sweet.

"Hey babe." Daryl said smoothly, but sweetly as possible.

"I thought you'd never get home. So what'd ya get? Imma drive over tonight and watch you ride, I guess." She said nervously.

"I got 'No Man's Land'." Daryl said surely. She backed away from him.

"What? No fuckin' way! Daryl Dixon-"

"Imma turn out fine!" Daryl promised. And the war began.

* * *

Daryl sat on the bull. It was going crazy all caged in, but he held on calmly. Despite being a little upset from the fight with Katie-Evelyn, he was ready to ride. Although slightly disappointed that she really didn't show up, he was ready to get his anger out. No man could ride this bull. But he could. And he knew it.

"You ready?" Glenn was outside of the fence, watching nervously.

"Ready." Daryl said calmly. Glenn flashed the other two men a thumbs up. The buzzer went off, and the gates opened. Daryl felt every muscle in his body tense up, as he held on tightly. The bull was bucking and twirling. Daryl felt himself slipping, and he relaxed slightly, holding on even tighter with his legs.

It felt like forever before the buzzer went off again. He knew he had done it, and he wanted to yell. Eight seconds on a bull no man could ride. The last thing he saw was Katie-Evelyn's face in his mind, when he flew into the air. He saw the ground coming, and braced for the impact. He grimaced as his face hit the ground.

Dirt flew into his face, up his nose, in his mouth. In a daze, he struggled to pick himself up. Before he even got to his feet, a searing, sharp pain hit him in the back. He felt like his insides exploded. Everything was black when he hit the ground a second time.

* * *

Katie-Evelyn was sitting in their bedroom, cursing that man. She couldn't believe that he agreed to ride the worst known bull in bull riding history. She felt bad for the fact that she didn't go to watch him ride. She had been watching him ride since she was sixteen years old.

That was their thing. He'd go to her ballet recitals, and she'd go to watch him ride. After every ride, she'd meet him at the gate, tell him "_You're crazy, Daryl Dixon, but I love you. Better be glad you look so damn sexy on that bull._", then she'd throw her arms around him and kiss him.

But it got old, the riding. She realized the danger as she got older. She watched too many men fall, and not get back up. One of her friends had a boyfriend who got paralyzed from the neck down, and that was her final straw. She begged Daryl to quit, but he was firm in his decision. He wanted to ride.

Suddenly the phone rang, disturbing her thoughts. She sighed, and half smiled, ready to hear his sweet voice all hyped up to tell her that he was right. That she was crazy for thinking he'd get hurt. This would be their making up for the fight they had earlier.

"Hello?" She put on her sweetest voice.

"Katie-Evelyn, it's Rick Grimes." The local sheriff's voice made her heart drop.

"Rick, don't play that shit with me. What hospital is he in?" Katie-Evelyn asked.

"Kate... I'm sorry, but he's gone." Rick said those words, and the phone fell out of her hand, onto the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hope y'all enjoy ! Reviews are greatly appreciated ! Thanks to the readers !**

**~Kaila G.**

* * *

_"They say she just went crazy._

_Screamin' out his name._

_She ran out into the ocean,_

_And to this day they claim,_

_That if you go down by the water,_

_You'll see her footprints in the sand._

_'Cause every night she walks the beaches_

_Of Cheyenne."_

* * *

Katie-Evelyn stared at the phone. Everything seemed quiet, like the calm before the storm. She reached down, and grabbed the phone with a strange calmness. With a mournful wail, she reared her arm back, and threw the telephone. It flew across the room, and hit the wall hard. Then it fell to the floor, pieces of the wall falling down beside it.

"NOOOOO!" She wailed, running out her bedroom. "DARYL! DARYL!" She was screaming. Katie-Evelyn reached the front door, ripping at it, trying to get out of the house. She had to get out, she had to run. Daryl couldn't be gone. This had to be a nightmare. It wasn't right, she had to find him.

"DARYYYYYYL!" She wailed, yanking the door roughly. It made a sick cracking sound and screws fell to the floor. The door tilted. Ignoring the door half off its hinges, she ran out of the house and down the front porch stairs. Where he had just stood only hours earlier.

Yes, hours earlier he had stood on those stairs, on that porch. She had ran to him, and kissed him. He had told her what bull he'd be riding, and she had gotten so angry. Now all of that seemed so stupid, and she just wished he was back on that porch, back in her arms. None of this could be real, it couldn't be. She'd lost her world.

"DARYL! DARYL! Come back! Please!" Katie-Evelyn ran towards the water, tears bluring her sight. She nearly tripped in the sand, but she didn't notice. Just like she didn't notice Ms. Mary calling out to her questioningly. Katie-Evelyn's mind was gone. Her thoughts were only of Daryl, and the fact that he wasn't coming home. They wouldn't be making up and going to the bar. He was...gone.

"Daryl!" Katie-Evelyn's hoarse voice called out into the dark ocean water. The waves hit her as she cried out for him. She felt nothing, except the ripping, searing pain in her heart, and she figured she might have been dying anyway.

"Daryyyyyyl!" She wailed hoarsely, crying out into the darkness, as the waves crashed against her. He couldn't do this, it wasn't right. How could he just leave her? Her thoughts went back to a time that had been long forgotten, pushed away in the back of her head. Until now.

_"How you think this is gonna work?" Daryl asked quietly, staring at Katie-Evelyn._

_"What you mean?" She asked, tilting her head sideways._

_"Your daddy's already got ya school paid for. He can't wait to get you 'way from me." Daryl growled._

_"I ain't goin'." Katie-Evelyn said surely._

_"What?" He asked, voice slightly off._

_"I ain't goin'." She repeated firmly._

_"Best dance school in the United States, and ya sayin' you ain't goin'?" Daryl looked at her as if she were crazy._

_"That's right. I'm stayin' right here." She said firmly._

_"He's gonna murder us both." Daryl laughed._

_"You 'member? We promised we'd never leave each other." Katie-Evelyn said quietly._

_"We were five." Daryl smiled._

_"Yea, an' I'm keepin' that promise. And anyways, I ain't no city girl." She scrunched up her nose at him, and smiled._

_"I promise, never to leave you either... How ya know you ain't makin' a big mistake? By stayin' here?" Daryl asked quietly._

_"I got you. All I need." She said, kicking her feet, as they sat on the wall over looking the beach._

_"You're sure?" Daryl asked._

_"Since I was five years old. You sure?" She teased._

_"I promise I'll never leave you, an' I'll always love you, Kate..." He was quiet for a moment, before turning toward her and putting a hand to her face. "Marry me."_

"You swore you'd never go! You promised you wouldn't leave me here! Why? Daryl, why?!" She screamed again hoarsely, crying, looking up at the dark sky. A wave crashed over her, almost up to her neck. She waded out farther, fighting the smaller waves. Finally, she reached a point of no return, and a wave crashed over her head. It pulled her body down under the water. She didn't want to fight it. She didn't want to fight at all.

She knew she couldn't live without him. Daryl Dixon was her soul mate, the love of her life. They had fought for each other, all their lives. Katie-Evelyn couldn't take it. She wanted the pain to end. Living her life without him was impossible. Everything they had dreamed of had died with him. Now she would die too.

Katie-Evelyn didn't come back up. She did not fight the waves. Instead, she breathed in a gulp of water. Felt the water fill up her lungs. She couldn't breathe, but she did not fight for air, like most people who were drowning would. She just closed her eyes, and let the darkness slowly slide over her. The only thing she saw, was Daryl Dixon's blue eyes, and then, even that was gone as everything turned to black.


	4. Chapter 4

_They never found her body._

_Just her diary by the bed._

_It told about the fight they had,_

_And the words that she had said._

_When he told her he was ridin'._

_She said then I don't give a damn,_

_If you never come back from Cheyenne._

* * *

"I feel mighty shitty goin' through her stuff." Shane mumbled, holding the diary. He looked up at Rick with a hollow, tired expression. They had been searching for Katie-Evelyn for three days.

"I know, but we gotta look at everything. I ain't exactly comfortable readin' her personal diary either. But maybe it will tell us somethin'." Rick suggested with a small shrug. The dark circles under his eyes made him look older. Shane sighed.

"All it talks about is them two fightin' 'bout him ridin' at the rodeo that night." Shane said quietly, regretting ever having to pick up her diary.

"Fight?" Rick asked, his eyebrows lifting slightly.

"Yea, says they had an argument. He told her his decision of ridin' was final, and she basically said she didn't care if he never came back... And he didn't... Bet that hit her pretty hard when she got the call that he wasn't." Shane said quietly.

"You know, she might've really killed herself. All that guilt, not wantin' to live without him... Ocean can rip a body through the under-toe and carry 'em pretty far." Rick said surely, but his voice was hollow.

"Prolly right, man." Shane said, and he set the diary back down in the exact spot he found it on her night stand. "Where do we go from here?"

"Keep her on the missin' person's list until her body turns up. If it ever does." Rick said, and the two men left the house, not ready to face the families again with the news of nothing.

* * *

"I won't do it! No fuckin' more!" Katie-Evelyn stormed back into the house. Daryl followed her.

"What you mean by that?" He snarled the question, grabbing her arm. She spun on her heels to face him, jerking away, anger burning in her blue eyes.

"_Don't_ touch me!" She snarled. "I ain't gonna sit back and let you get ya self killed!" She yelled at him, the anger evident in her voice. "I've watched too many men fall out there and not get back up!"

"Ain't gonna get myself killed, woman! Ain't one of 'em!" He yelled back. "This is what I do! This is what I love!"

"Oh, so I give up what I love for you, but you can't for me!" Katie-Evelyn sneered at him.

"What?" Daryl looked at her as if she had just slapped him. "Don't even go there! You chose to stay here on ya goddamn own! I didn't make ya give up shit!" He yelled again.

"No! You didn't! But I did 'cause I knew it'd be toxic to our relationship. This shit, this bull ridin' bullshit, is toxic to our relationship!" Katie-Evelyn yelled.

"Only 'cause you make it!" Daryl growled, stepping closer to her. "This is my life."

"Exactly! _Your _life. What about us? Our life? I wanna have kids, ya know. How are we ever gonna have kids if you're too busy ridin' fuckin' bulls all your life? I ain't gonna have babies with you, if you keep ridin_'. _I won't do it! I won't start a family with you when there's a chance that your ass won't even be around to raise 'em!" She cried.

"Ya bein' over dramatic, Kate." Daryl laughed. "Look how long I've been ridin'! I ain't ever been hurt bad or nothin'! I never told you to quit dancin' 'cause I was 'fraid you'd break ya neck!"

"That is totally different, and you know it!" Katie-Evelyn shook her head. "You're so selfish, Daryl Dixon! You're the most selfish man I've ever known!"

"What? 'Cause I wanna do what I love? You still do ya damn fluff-fluff dance routines around the livin' room. With ya goddamn classical ballet bullshit music blarin' in my fuckin' ears! Do I say shit? NO!" Daryl yelled. Katie-Evelyn stared at him in disbelief.

"Really? Really?" She yelled. "I have to go watch you fuckin' ride bulls down at a goddamn rodeo. I gotta sit there and watch you get thrown around, never knowin' if ya gonna get killed right in front of me!"

"You knew! You knew this was me! It's what I do, Katie-Evelyn! Imma bull rider, an' you knew it when you married me! I'm not givin' up what I love. I love you, but I'm ridin'." Daryl said, and his voice was firm, harsh.

"Fine!" She yelled. "Then I don't give a damn if you never come back from Cheyenne." Katie-Evelyn had tears in her eyes as she turned on her heels, went into the bedroom, and slammed the door. Hard.

"Women!" Daryl huffed, and stormed out of the house. He stomped angrily down the stairs, and across the gravel to his motorcycle. Swinging his leg over, he sat down, and cranked it up. He looked up and expected to see her glaring at him through the window. But there was no one.

Daryl angrily shook his head, before turning the bike and leaving the yard. All of that was so stupid, and he hadn't realized it before, but he was shaking. His nerves were bad. He and Katie-Evelyn had never fought like that before. Petty arguements, but not like that. He sighed, as he rode away from the house. Away from her. Little did he know, she was watching him ride away out the window.


	5. Chapter 5

_"Nobody can explain it_

_Some say she's still alive._

_They even claim they've seen her,_

_On the shoreline late at night._

_So if you go down by the water,_

_You'll see her footprints in the sand._

_Cause every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne."_

* * *

"You really think she's dead?" Rick asked, as he and Shane walked down the shoreline, flashlights in hands.

"Honestly... I do." Shane looked out toward the water. "I think she's out there, out there somewhere." Rick was silent, and the two veered off. Rick was shining his light along the water, when something caught his eye up ahead. He looked up, and he swore he saw a girl.

"Kate?" He yelled, sprinting forward. "Katie-Evelyn!" Rick was running now. Shane heard his yells, and took off after him. When Shane finally reached him, Rick was standing near the water, dumbfounded.

"You see her?" Shane asked, his breaths hard from running.

"She...she was right here." Rick was still staring at the ground.

"Rick, I think you-"

"Shane, look." Rick shined his light onto the wet sand. There were small footprints leading out of the water, but they stopped abruptly where the two men stood. Shane looked at Rick.

"No way..." Shane mumbled.

"No one else is out here but us." Rick said, and just as he was about to speak again, a wave seeped up, and washed the footprints clean. The two men just stared at each other for a moment, before looking out at the ocean.

"Maybe it's a sign, man." Shane tried to process what they had just seen.

"I think you're right. Maybe it's a sign that it's time to stop lookin'." Rick said, sadness evident in his voice.

"Rick, look!" Shane whispered loudly, looking ahead. Rick snapped his head up to see an unbelievable sight. Along the shoreline, was a couple, holding hands. They were walking slowly, the water swooshing up around their ankles. Rick saw long, curly hair, and knew it was her. It was them.

"We gotta go after them..." Shane trailed off, his voice shaken.

"No we don't. We jus' let 'em go." Rick said with a sad smile. "They're gone now, but maybe if we wanna see them, we can come down to the shoreline. They might jus' be here." And with that, the two officers took one last look before walking away, knowing that they had witnessed something that no one would ever believe.

* * *

_"We'll be together forever?" Katie-Evelyn asked, as Daryl drew lazy circles along her back with his finger._

_"Forever." Daryl grinned, and kissed her bare shoulder. Katie-Evelyn squinted against the sun, looking at him. _

_"It's hotter 'an hell out here." Katie-Evelyn said, squinching up her nose. Daryl laughed._

_"You the one that wanted to go sun tannin'!" He looked at her with a smirk._

_"Yea, yea. I know this. Let's go for a swim!" Her blue eyes lit up as she looked out into the water. Daryl jumped up, and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. The two took off running, straight for the blue ocean waves, Katie-Evelyn laughing the whole way._

_They hit the water, and she waded out until the water reached her waist. She looked over at Daryl, who was standing there, watching her. He was closer to the shore, the water barely reaching his thighs. Katie-Evelyn laughed as he splashed water her way._

_"Daryl Dixon!" She scolded playfully, and she made her way out of the deeper water. She ran to him, as fast as she could through the water, and jumped into his arms. Daryl grabbed her up, and held her close._

_"You're my girl." Daryl whispered in her ear, and she grinned._

_"Yes, I am... If anything ever happened to you, I'd come here. Jus' run out into the water, and never look back." Katie-Evelyn said, putting her forehead against his._

_"Why here?" Daryl asked, holding her close._

_"I know I'd find you here." She said, a sad smile on her lips. Daryl didn't want to see her sad, so he leaned forward, and kissed her._

_"I'll be here waitin'." Daryl whispered against her lips, as they kissed._

* * *

**Okay guys, that was the final chapter for this story ! Sweet, but sad :( I really enjoyed doing this, what I like to call "short story", it was fun to write. Anyone who reads, hope yall enjoy it as much as I did !**

**~Kaila G**


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